You'll only date who? The Effects of Race and Racial Preference in Dating on Perceptions of Prejudice
Abstract
Do target race and racial preference in dating influence people's perception of discrimination? This study collected data from a survey given to 187 White participants, recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The survey included an online dating profile that varied based on target gender (male or female), target race (White, Latino, or Black), and racial preference in dating (preference for only same race partners or no racial preference). Additionally, this survey included several questionnaires that measured people's perception of discrimination, pre-existing prejudice, attitudes toward interracial dating, and behaviors in relation to interracial dating experience. Results showed that White, Latino, and Black targets whose online dating profile stated no racial preference were evaluated positively. When these profiles stated a racial preference, however, participants rated Black targets significantly more negatively than White and Latino targets, providing support for aversive racism.